THROMBOSIS HROMBOSIS of the aortic arch with embolization to the peripheral arteries is an unknown sequence.1-3Although lesions resulting from thoracic injuries have been described,4-10the authors are not acquainted with vascular obstructions such as the one under discussion. Aneurysms and abrupt rupture of the aorta are sometimes seen following closed thoracic trauma.4,7,8Primary arterial11and nontraumatic thrombosis of the pulmonary artery12,13or abdominal aorta14are entities not related to the present syndrome which occurred during civilian life. It is interesting that in wartime thoracic injuries aortic thrombosis either did not exist or was not recognized, perhaps because of relatively early fatality.4in 1944, thoracic injuries during wartime directed the attention of surgeons to pulmonary trauma.5,15,16Recently, a review of 2,811 thoracic injuries from the Korean conflict revealed that a few foreign bodies were found in the heart.6 The majority of